Albert Besnard and his Model

Sitting closely behind the French artist Albert Besnard (1849–1934), Zorn gives a drastically cropped and foreshortened view of his friend with a model in the background. Zorn visited Besnard in his Paris studio, and together they engaged in a jovial competition by drawing the same model at the same time; this etching is the result. The few lines that build up Besnard’s back and knee demonstrate Zorn’s talent with the etching needle.

Source: Anders Zorn: A European Artist Seduces America, special exhibition on view in the Museum's Hostetter Gallery, February 28 – May, 2013.